3 Missouri Residents Sentenced for Robbery Conspiracy

Three Missouri residents were recently sentenced in federal court for their roles in a conspiracy to commit a series of armed robberies by luring their victims with online advertisements and ambushing them.

The U.S. Attorney's Office says that 22-year old Dylan J. Houston, and his brother, 29-year old Andrew J. Houston, of Kansas City, and 36-year old Nicole Waguespack, also known as Nicole Covey, of Sugar Creek, MO, were sentenced in separate appearances on January 31, 2019.

Dylan Houston was sentenced to 12 years, while Andrew Houston was sentenced to seven years and eight months in federal prison. Waguespack was sentenced to four years and nine months. The three were sentenced without parole. They are among 10 defendants who have been sentenced in this case. Two other defendants have pleaded guilty and await sentencing.

Co-conspirators reportedly posted ads on several websites in order to entice customers to meet in person at area hotels, residences and apartments in Kansas City, MO. When the customers arrived, co-conspirators were lying in wait, armed with firearms and weapons that appeared to be firearms. They would reportedly ambush and rob the customers at gunpoint, often committing more than one robbery in a night.

According to court documents, the proceeds of the robberies was divided up and used to pay for narcotics or to pay for a room where the co-conspirators could use narcotics. When confronting the victim, the suspects used verbal threats, pointed real and fake guns at them, physically hit them, and intimidated them. Records obtained from social media services and hotels corroborate statements by participants that only a small percentage of the victims called the police to report their robbery.

Dylan Houston pleaded guilty on July 12, 2018, to his role in the armed robbery conspiracy as well as three counts of armed robbery. According to court documents, Dylan Houston was one of the enforcers in the robbery scheme. Once a victim was led into a room, he would reportedly surprise the victim and used firearms and threats of physical violence to intimidate and take electronics and cash. Houston admitted that he participated in three armed robberies, including one robbery in which the victim, after being forced into his truck at gunpoint, later jumped out of the moving vehicle while driving at highway speeds, in fear for his life. In another robbery, Houston stole a firearm from a victim that was later used in subsequent robberies.

Andrew Houston pleaded guilty on July 11, 2018, to his role in the armed robbery conspiracy, as well as to three counts of armed robbery. Houston served as a look-out for multiple robberies, notifying co-defendants about the arrival of victims and watching for law enforcement response. He also shared in the proceeds from the robberies.

Waguespack pleaded guilty on May 3, 2017, to her role in the armed robbery conspiracy as well as to five counts of armed robbery. She reportedly created dozens of online ads designed to lure men to robberies. When victims arrived, she met the victims at the door. As part of the plan, she then excused herself to the restroom while the other co-conspirators surprised and robbed the victims with threats of violence and firearms.